Wild Horse Politics: Constituent of Congressman Mark Amodei (Nevada)

 

 6/15/16  1:10 PM pst  source: legislative assistant Stephanie Walker, Con. Amodei's office

By voice vote, Appropriations Committee adopted a bi-partisan proposal to transfer captive wild horses to Federal, State and local governments for use as work horses with a limiting provision stating they cannot be slaughtered.  BLM was also encouraged to continue exploring contraceptive options with universities, but OSU's experimental ovarectomy program was not specifically mentioned.

Velma Bronn Johnston -- Wild Horse Annie -- was responsible, along with America's school children, for passing the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act which sheltered wild horses from mechanized round-up and slaughter. Since her death, the Act has been legally perverted. Between now & tomorrow, we have a chance to stop a new way to make it legal to kill mustangs.

 

Tuesday June 14, 2016

11:30 a.m  phoned the D.C. office and was urged to leave a message so that my concerns could be passed on, I asked to leave two questions and get a call back or email response.

My questions: 

1) If tomorrow's Appropriations Committee "markup" meeting includes a proposal to transfer captive wild horses from BLM to Federal, state or local governmental agencies, where does Congressman Amodei stand? I noted that this would strip all equines in BLM custody of their legal rights as wild horses.  

2) Who does the Congressman consult for well-rounded, especially scientific, expertise on the wild horse issue?

 I was told I'd receive a response from Jason Riederer,Legislative Director at U.S. House of Representatives

2:15 pm. 

No word from the Congressman's office and it's getting late in D.C., so I called again and asked if there was an email address to which I could write a letter that would be read before the Appropriations Meeting tomorrow. 

I was transferred to Kate, who told me the Congressman was very aware of wild horse issues and she appreciated my call and that she was familiar with the content of tomorrow's Appropriations Committee meeting. I asked her to please make sure the Congressman looked at the fiscal impacts of keeping horses corralled vs. having BLM maintain oversight and the horses maintain their legally wild status if they should to to state or Federal agencies as "work animals."
Re: Congressman's consultants on wild horse issues,

When asked for a single name among the "vast number of constituents he consults" on this issue, Kate couldn't or wouldn't name one.  

Pressed, she gave me this contact:  Stephanie.Walker@mail.house.gov. 

4pm 

Dear Ms. Walker:

Kate in your office recommended I write to you for answers to my questions.

First, if tomorrow's meeting includes a proposal to transfer captive wild horses from BLM to Federal, state or local governmental agencies as work animals, how will Congressman Amodei vote? I urge him to stand against this idea. These horses have already been taken off the range, so the Congressman's loyalty to livestock interests is irrelevant. If he still chooses to shuttle horses to other agencies, I urge him to add language which maintains the horses' existing rights under Federal law. It costs little -- only occasional BLM welfare checks -- and keeps them from being legally sold for slaughter.

I have observed livestock auctions where wild horses deemed estray by the Nevada Department of Agriculture are sold at auction to kill buyers and this amendment would expand such practices. It is an obvious backdoor to horse slaughter which the vast majority of Americans oppose. There is no ethical reason for the Congressman to rubber stamp it.

Kate told me that the Congressman "consults a vast number of constituents" on the wild horse issue, and yet she could not or would not name a single one. That's when she passed me off to you. I hope you can tell me who Congressman Amodei consults for well-rounded, up-to-date scientific expertise on wild horses.

I am a journalist and the author of fact-based fiction about wild horses. My work has received science awards and been honored by the American Library Association. My recent book was vetted and endorsed by the head mammologist of the American Museum of Natural History. I would be happy to share my experience and sources in a civil conversation with Congressman Amodei.

Sincerely,
Terri Farley  

6 am Wednesday June 15 

No response from Rep Amodei's office

Noon   

No response from Rep Amodei's office. 

Phoned Legislative Assistant Stephanie Walker and had a cordial conversation. She was in the Appropriations "marking" meeting